Something Special
by Indigospellbound
Summary: Young Bumi is tired of being picked on by his bending siblings, but a little pep talk from his favorite uncle can do wonders. ONE-SHOT


**I don't own Legend of Korra or Avatar the Last airbender. Based on a prompt THEACTORSJOURNEY on tumblr.**

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Once again Bumi was minding his own business, standing on the porch watching Kya practice her water bending when a sudden flurry of air passed him blowing his hat into the wind. "Hey, give it back." Bumi yelled as his younger brother Tenzin hoped up onto a tree with a gust of wind from his own creation.

"You're gonna have to take it from me." He his boyish giggles taunting.

Bumi's grew hard with determination and he stomped up to the tree. He bent his knees and took the largest jump he could manage catching the lowest branch on the tree. He grunted, lifting his body up finally standing on the lowest branch of the tree. He was about to go for the next branch when he saw Tenzin hopping from tree branch to tree branch all the way to the top.

"Hey, not fair. You know I can't air bend!" Bumi yelled receiving more laughs from his brother.

"Tenzin, you really shouldn't taunt him like that." Kya said sending a whip of water, drenching Tenzin.

Tenzin used a gust of air to dry himself "Keep your water to yourself!" In the process he dropped Bumi's hat. Bumi hopped down from the branch seizing his opportunity but just as he reached his hat it was swept away in a current of water.

"Oops too slow." Kya laughed.

"Don't get it all wet you're ruining it." By the time he reached Kya, Tenzin had already grabbed the hat and had taken off with it again.

Bumi resigned to sit on the porch steps and wait till his siblings were done with their game. It was always like this with the three of them, the two benders picking on the sole non-bender in the family. His father told him he was special and just as capable as his siblings for great things, but Bumi never felt it. It was easy for him to say, he's The Avatar, he can bend four elements. Bumi couldn't bend any. He whipped a tear from his eyes. This was stupid, he though, he was ten years old, much too old for crying.

"Kid's look who's come to visit." Bumi's mother said from the door, standing behind her dressed in Water Tribe warrior gear, was Bumi's favorite uncle.

"Uncle Sokka!" Kya and Tenzin cried abandoning Bumi's hat a muddy puddle to greet their uncle. Bumi stalked into the middle of the yard to retrieve his hat. He turned towards his family and say his two siblings receiving gifts and laughing with their uncle. Bumi sighed, putting his muddy hat back on his head and sulking into the house.

"Hey, how's my favorite nephew?" Sokka asked putting a hand on Bumi's shoulder before he could disappear.

"I thought I was your favorite." Tenzin said indignantly.

"You're both my favorite." Sokka smiled rubbing Tenzin's bald head.

Always the no it all Kya put her hands on her hips. "Technically, that's not possible."

Noticing Bumi's down mood Sokka cleared his throat. "Why don't you two go play, I want to talk to Bumi alone." The two children glared at Bumi as they walked into the house.

"So what's wrong little buddy?" Sokka asked once the coast was clear.

"Nothing." Bumi replied, taking a seat on the steps.

"It doesn't seem like nothing." Sokka took a seat next to him. "Look I know it can be tough sometimes being the only non-bender but it's not all bad."

"Yeah it is, they take my stuff and wreck it all the time. Mom and Dad are always giving them bending lessons. They can all do something special and I can't do anything."

Sokka paused considering his nephew's words. It was tough, the other two had a connection with their parents that Bumi would never have. "Why don't I tell you a story?" He cleared his throat. "A long long time ago I was living with a group of people who were some of the greatest benders of all time." Bumi's eyes got big. "They were always saving people and doing all sorts of amazing things, but unlike them I couldn't bend. I couldn't do the things they could. This bothered me a lot and made me feel like I wasn't really a part of the group."

"Really? What did you do?"

"I learned something. I learned that it wasn't their bending that made them able to help people, it was what they did with their bending. So I found my own way. I picked up a boomerang and learned how to use it. I practiced really hard and soon I was even saving them."

"Wow! That's so cool!" Bumi's face lit up "Too bad I can't fight like you can." He resigned.

"Here, I was meaning to give this to your mom for safe keeping but I think you're ready to have it." He dug into the pouch he brought with him. "Here you go, it was my first boomerang." He handed the object to Bumi. He held it like it was made of glass and would break if he didn't handle it carefully.

Bumi got up and bowed "Thanks Uncle Sokka."

Sokka stood and rubbed Bumi's head affectionately. "You're welcome little buddy. Want to learn how to use it?" Bumi nodded in disbelief "Ok let's go."

The two spent the rest of the day practicing proper boomerang throwing technique, and for the first time Bumi felt like he really was special. Out of a family of benders he was the sole-non bender and if he grew up to be anything like Uncle Sokka, it was something to be proud of. It would be wrong to say that Bumi never felt like the black sheep of the family, or he never wished with every fiber of his being that he could bend. Yet, every time he looked at his special boomerang, he was reminded of how special he really was.


End file.
